Sarcoidosis with membranous nephropathy and granulomatous interstitial nephritis

Abstract

A 49-year-old woman, who had been diagnosed as sarcoidosis based on bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and lung biopsy, presented increased serum creatinine and calcium concentrations. Renal biopsy showed the presence of interstitial nephritis with non-caseating epithelioid granuloma and focal membranous transformation. Therapy with prednisolone was effective in normalizing serum creatinine, serum calcium, serum angiotensin converting enzyme, and urine β2 microglobulin, but these abnormalities reappeared after rapid withdrawal of prednisolone. This is a rare case of sarcoidosis manifested by both membranous nephropathy and granulomatous interstitial nephritis, and indicates the necessity of long-term treatment of corticosteroid.